Article,
Discipline or Field?: Soul-Searching in Communication Research
Nordicom Review, (2007)
Abstract
The terms of (mass) communication research and media studies are widely used to refer to an academic discipline, usually established in universities as a major or minor subject, a department or institute and sometimes even a school or college. It is implied that this young field is by now a discipline in its own right alongside such traditional disciplines as history, literature, sociology or political science. However, the nature of the discipline often remains unclear, while its identity is typically determined by administrative conven- ience and market demand rather than analysis of its historical development and scholarly position within the system of arts and sciences. This chapter discusses the nature and ter- minology of the discipline, with examples of Finland and other Nordic countries, and it advocates the need for a continuous self-assessment of the research community.
